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If football matches were won and lost on the popularity of the manager, this would be a high scoring draw. Harry Redknapp and Ian Holloway are two “characters” of the game that provide just as much entertainment off the pitch, as their teams do on it.
Both of them are renowned for their honesty and straight talking during their post and pre match exchanges with the media, and some of the quotes gained from these moments have become legendary. From being scared of your defensive midfielder’s mum, to comparing the performance of your team to a night out on the pull. Love it or loath it, you have to admit it’s more enjoyable than listening to some of the more clichéd responses that other managers come out with. There is no bridge crossing or games of two halves with these two. There is only pure old honesty, coupled with the sort of humour that the late Brian Clough would have been proud of. We only have to look down the road to Arsenal and you will find the remarkably blind Mr Wenger, who seems to miss so much of the game that you wonder if that is actually him on the sidelines. Then there is Ancelloti at Chelsea, where the attempts of the reporter to dumb down his questions to a broken English level, still get lost in translation as the response to every question is met with a Yoda like response of “we played good game, they did too, happy with my team I am”
Ian Holloway once said ““I love Blackpool. We’re very similar. We both look better in the dark.”
Comments like this are common place in the speeches of the Blackpool manager, but it looks as though the lights may actually be going out on Blackpool’s impressive start to the season. They are without a win in their last six games and have slipped to 16th in the table. Many expected the collapse to come a lot sooner and it is testament to the job Holloway has done, that the demise has arrived this far through the season. The Blackpool boss will probably blame the transfer window for disrupting the harmony in his team, his star player Charlie Adam had his head turned by Liverpool and then by Spurs, as they attempted to prize him away from the seaside club. With a weaker manager at the helm, spurs may well have lined up today with Adam in their Lilywhite strip rather than the tangerine colour he currently wears.
The game promises to have plenty of goals and attacking football to drool over with both sides intent on outscoring their own leaky defences. Redknapp will be afforded the opportunity to play some of his more attacking options for this game, unlike his understandably cautious approach to the Milan game a week ago. Joe Jordan can also leave his game face at home. There is unlikely to be a repeat of the touchline fracas he was involved in with Gattuso last week. Although Holloway has a very sharp tongue, so some protective clothing could still be advisable.
Whoever Redknapp decides to play, you can be sure it will be with the best intention of getting the desired victory to move Spurs five points clear of Chelsea in the table. Only fools would go against the Spurs boss’ selections so far this season. I for one would not have played Sandro against Milan based in his previous performances in a Tottenham shirt. Equally, I probably would have opted for Kranjcar over Pienaar on a form based decision. Redknapp chose otherwise in both cases and it worked brilliantly for him (probably why he is the manager and not me). Steven Pienaar offered him more naturally defensive qualities than Kranjcar and he said that to the press. I imagine he said it to the players concerned too. That is how Redknapp goes about his business, with honesty and with full communication to his players as to why he makes the decisions he does. This has brought him respect and a unity in his side that has enabled him to alter his line-ups frequently, but without too much disruption to the style of play or the commitment of his players.
It sounds like such a simple philosophy based around man management and getting the most out of the players he has. It is something that has been recognised by his counterpart for the game against Blackpool. Commenting on Redknapp’s possible future promotion to the England job, Holloway said ““He seems to get the best out of everybody, which you need as an international manager….We’ll have to leave it to the powers that be, but I for one would love to see him in that chair”. Hopefully, the powers that be will have to wait and Redknapp can be left to carry on the outstanding job he has already started in turning Tottenham into regular title contenders. Starting with this game away at Blackpool, where a win will put Spurs firmly in the top three and hot on the heels of rivals Arsenal.
Whatever the game offers on the pitch, you can be sure that off it, no matter the result, there will be a comparison to a night out from Holloway, or a reference to the finishing ability of his missus, from Harry. As the true “characters” of the game will remind us that it’s not all about money and contracts. It’s about entertainment as well.
Some Related Spurs Posts:Harry Needs To Toughen Up To Save Spurs’ SeasonCrouch nets winner for plucky SpursWhy Spurs Should Be Considered Favourites To Finish ThirdSpurs travel North for “must win” gameBale Or Modric Go To United? You’re Living In The Past, Fergie
Category: Team News
Tags: Harry Redknapp, Spurs, Team News, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur Official SiteTweet « Bale Or Modric Go To United? You’re Living In The Past, Fergie | Home |
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